MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Enzo Maresca resigned as Chelsea’s head coach on Thursday following reports that his relationship with the club soured. premier league Club hierarchy.
The Italian coach was in the middle of his second season in charge. In the first season he won conference league and club world cup.
last month, Maresca said He experienced a “worst” 48 hours at Chelsea and expressed frustration at the lack of support at the club, but did not give a specific reason.
Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League, having won just one of their last seven league games, but have reached the semi-finals of the English League Cup, where they will face Arsenal for the second time in a row.
Chelsea said: “We still have important objectives to reach in order to qualify for the four competitions, including Champions League qualification.” statement“Enzo and the club believe the changes will give the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.”
Chelsea drew 2-2 at home to Bournemouth in the league on Tuesday, and will next play away to second-placed Manchester City on Sunday.
The club said Chelsea’s achievements under Maresca “will remain an important part of the club’s recent history and we thank him for his contribution to the club.”
No word has yet been announced on a potential replacement for Chelsea, who have been searching for their fifth full-time manager since taking over. takeover of the club It was established in May 2022 by American investors led by Todd Boley.
Over the past three-and-a-half years, Chelsea have spent hundreds of millions of pounds ($) in an outwardly chaotic attempt to acquire players to revamp their squad. They currently have one of the Premier League’s youngest and most talented teams, with stars such as Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandes and Estevao, but managers have struggled to get their players to stick together after repeated turnovers.
Of all the managers who managed Chelsea during that period, including current England and American coaches Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, respectively, Maresca seemed to have dealt with the turmoil best.
However, he reportedly recently changed agents as he felt unappreciated given the harsh working conditions, according to the BBC. A few weeks ago, English media reports suggested Maresca could move to Man City if Guardiola ultimately leaves, but Maresca downplayed the reports.
Chelsea’s form has been poor in recent weeks since beating Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League in November.
The team’s only league win in the past month was a 2-0 victory over Everton. We drew against Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth (twice) and lost to Leeds and Aston Villa.
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